Misplaced Pages

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110-629: Prior to 1997, the highway was nearly twice as long, extending 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) further south to meet Highway 11 and Highway 400A at Crown Hill (just north of Barrie , and seven kilometres further north to Penetanguishene . Because the southern leg paralleled Highway 400 just two kilometres to the east, and the northern segment carried primarily municipal traffic in Penetanguishene and Midland, both segments were transferred to Simcoe County that year. They were subsequently designated Simcoe County Road 93 . On March 26, 2014, it

220-420: A median barrier , crosses former Highway   93 (Penetanguishene Road) and passes through a generally flat rural area, though businesses line both sides of the route. At the northern end of Lake Simcoe, the highway enters Orillia, where it is built as a divided freeway. It meets and becomes concurrent with Highway   12 for 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi). At Laclie Drive, the route exits Orillia and returns to

330-527: A $ 71-million contract was awarded for a mix of twinning and a new alignment for 7.9-kilometre (4.9 mi) from Superior Shores Road south of Ouimet to south of Dorion Loop Road near Dorion . Construction started a few weeks earlier at the end of November. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2023. On July   11, 2022, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) of the new eastbound lanes opened from Ouimet Canyon Road to Superior Shores Road. The remainder of

440-447: A 41-kilometre (25 mi) gap remaining to be four-laned; by 2009, construction was underway on 36 kilometres (22 mi). A 7.5-kilometre (4.7 mi) section from south of Burk's Falls to south of Katrine was four-laned by late 2010, mostly along a new alignment. The 17-kilometre (11 mi) Sundridge–South River Bypass opened to traffic on or about September   20, 2011, along a new alignment. The final two projects, twinning

550-526: A RIRO design with rural surroundings. It travels northward along the western shore of Lake Couchiching as far as Washago , then crosses the Severn River / Trent Severn Waterway . North of the Severn River, Highway   11 travels through the Canadian Shield ; large granite outcroppings are frequent and thick Boreal forest dominates the terrain. At Gravenhurst, the highway makes a sharp curve to

660-486: A bypass. Beginning in 1965 Highway   11 was widened to a divided four-lane route between Orillia and North Bay. Initially, this work began at the southern end and progressed northwards; work later began southwards from North Bay. The first section to be four-laned was 8.0 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Orillia, which was completed in October 1964, while the remaining 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north to Severn River

770-406: A continuation of the course of Highway 93 and the southernmost part of the historic Penetanguishene Road, but this is now designated Simcoe County Highway 93. From Highway 400, the route meanders north along Penetanguishene Road through Simcoe County . It passes through community of Hillsdale and skirts the eastern shoreline of Orr Lake , providing access to numerous cottages located around

880-532: A divided four-lane urban freeway and a two-lane rural road. It travels through surroundings ranging from cities to farmland to the uninhabited wilderness. The section through northern Ontario includes several sections with no gas or service for over 160 kilometres (100 mi). Significant urban centres serviced by the route include Barrie, Orillia, Gravenhurst , Bracebridge , Huntsville , North Bay, Temiskaming Shores , Cochrane , Kapuskasing , Hearst, Nipigon, Thunder Bay, Atikokan, Fort Frances and Rainy River. It

990-506: A generally west direction, eventually reaching Highway   11B at Atikokan , approximately halfway between Thunder Bay and Rainy River. The highway continues for 132 kilometres (82 mi), crosses the Noden Causeway, and reaches Fort Frances , where Highway   71 runs south across the U.S. border to International Falls . From here, Highway   11 shares a concurrency with Highway   71 for 37 kilometres (23 mi) until

1100-542: A new alignment east of that point to Birch Beach Road. The latter project was completed first, opening in July 2013, while the former was opened the week of September 29, 2014. Construction began in 2013 on a new four lane cable-stayed bridge across the Nipigon River , to replace the existing two lane bridge built in 1974. The southern span to carry the future westbound lanes was opened on November   28, 2015, after which

1210-414: A road existed between Cobalt and Kirkland Lake , as well as between Ramore and Cochrane, with an approximately 32-kilometre (20 mi) gap separating the two sections. Conservative leader Howard Ferguson promised to build a road to connect North Bay and Cochrane during the 1923 Ontario general election , which saw him elected as premier . The route of the new road between North Bay and Cobalt

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1320-572: A short distance through Orillia ), Highway   11 forms part of the Trans-Canada Highway and is part of MOM's Way between Thunder Bay and Rainy River. The original section of Highway   11 along Yonge Street was colloquially known as "Main Street Ontario" and was one of the first roads in what would later become Ontario. It was devised as an overland military route between York (Toronto) and Penetanguishene . Yonge Street serves as

1430-494: A steep incline as it descends Thibeault Hill into North Bay, the southbound Algonquin Avenue segment of Highway   11 features the only runaway truck ramp on Ontario's highway system, which was upgraded in 2009. From North Bay, Highway   11 extends northerly for 370 kilometres (230 mi), passing through communities such as Temagami , Latchford , Temiskaming Shores , Englehart and Matheson en route to Cochrane , where

1540-601: A tourist attraction. The fort and grounds operate, as of 2024, as part of Colonial Michilimackinac Historic State Park]] in Mackinaw City , a major component of the Mackinac State Historic Parks. Interpreters, both paid and volunteer, help bring the history to life with music, live demonstrations and reenactments, including musket and cannon firing demonstrations. The site has numerous reconstructed historical wooden structures based on archeological excavations. This

1650-523: Is Yonge Street in Toronto and York Region , though it is no longer under provincial jurisdiction. Yonge Street was built under the order of the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario), John Graves Simcoe . Fearing imminent attack by the United States, he sought to create a military route between York (now Toronto) and Lake Simcoe . In doing so, he would create an alternative means of reaching

1760-508: Is built to freeway standards, although a small number of at-grade intersections remain, primarily between Trout Creek and Callander. From its junction with Highway   17 at North Bay, the two highways share a concurrency for 4.1 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the Algonquin Avenue intersection, where Highway   17 continues west toward Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie while Highway   11 turns north onto Algonquin Avenue. Due to

1870-434: Is now Bethune Drive, opened in 1948, while reconstruction of the remainder of the route between Washago and Gravenhurst was completed in 1949. To the south, improvements between Barrie and Orillia, including a divided four-lane highway around the latter, were completed by 1955. During that period, a two-lane bypass around Washago was built between 1954 and 1955. Similar bypasses were built between Barrie and North Bay over

1980-423: Is often paired with Yonge Street in the persistent but incorrect factoid that Yonge Street is the longest street in the world , a claim that was featured in the book of Guinness World Records from 1977 to 1998. Highway   11 begins at an interchange with Highway   400 on the north side of Barrie, travelling northeast parallel to the northwestern shore of Lake Simcoe . The four-lane route, divided by

2090-515: Is simply either Yonge Street or the sections of various streets the highway followed. By 1997, the four-laning of Highway   11 reached to approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) north of Highway   60, where an interchange was built in 1992, as well as from North Bay south to Powassan. A continuous construction project was carried out over the next 15   years to widen the remaining 93 kilometres (58 mi) between Huntsville and Powassan. A 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) project to twin

2200-612: Is the only interchange in Northwestern Ontario . Highway   11 and 17 run concurrently from Nipigon down to Thunder Bay, a distance of approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi), where they swing west on the Shabaqua Highway, encountering Kakabeka Falls several kilometers later. The highway then runs in a northwestern direction to Shabaqua Corners , where the two highways split; Highway   17 continues northwest to Dryden and Kenora , while Highway   11 continues in

2310-648: The 45th parallel north 550 metres (1,800 ft) north of the bridge carrying Highway   118 at interchange   182, just outside Bracebridge. The 120-kilometre (70 mi) section of Highway   11 between Huntsville and North Bay provides access to the western side of Algonquin Park. It also connects to Highway 518 at Emsdale , Highway 520 at Burk's Falls , Highway 124 at Sundridge and South River , Highway 522 at Trout Creek , Highway 534 at Powassan , and Highway 94 and Highway 654 at Callander . Most of this section

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2420-718: The Canadian province of Ontario . At 1,784.9 kilometres (1,109.1 mi), it is the second-longest highway in the province, after Highway 17 . Highway   11 begins at Highway 400 in Barrie and arches through northern Ontario to the Ontario– Minnesota border at Rainy River via Thunder Bay ; the road continues as Minnesota State Highway 72 across the Baudette–Rainy River International Bridge . North and west of North Bay (as well as for

2530-615: The Chippeway First Nation and the road opened for settlement. It was treated specially by the crown land office in that the strategic value of the route to the naval base led to the road being preferred for military settlers. Large numbers of soldiers who had served in Canada or elsewhere throughout the British Empire were settled along the road and in the vicinity of Penetanguishene, as well as pensioners from Chelsea Hospital . Many of

2640-558: The French and Indian War , the North American front of the Seven Years' War . The British continued to operate the fort as a major trading post, but most residents were French and Métis (Ojibwe-French), who spoke predominantly French and worshipped at Sainte Anne Church in a small log structure. Other civilian residents included British fur traders, some of whom resided within the fort in

2750-715: The Mississippi River through the Illinois Country . The fort served as a supply depot for traders in the western Great Lakes. The French had first established a presence in the Straits of Mackinac in 1671 when Father Marquette established the Jesuit St. Ignace Mission at present-day St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan . In 1683, they augmented the mission with Fort de Buade . In 1701, Sieur de Cadillac moved

2860-477: The Muskoka Road began by the 1860s. The road, which penetrated the southern skirts of the Canadian Shield and advanced towards Lake Nipissing , reached as far as Bracebridge by 1861, and to Huntsville by 1863. It was officially opened when it reached Lake Nipissing in 1874. Further extensions into Northern Ontario would await the arrival of the automobile, and consequent need for highway networks. Highway 11

2970-568: The Muskoka Road —all early colonization roads in the region—a continuous route was created between Toronto and North Bay; however, the new department's jurisdiction did not extend north of the Severn River. Roads north of that point were maintained by the Department of Northern Development (DND). In order to be eligible for federal funding, the DPHO established a network of provincial highways on February   26, 1920. What would become Highway   11

3080-641: The Nottawasaga River . The Penetanguishene Military Post was started before the war, however, lacking a suitable overland transport route, passage from York to Lake Huron continued via the Nottawasaga. The Penetanguishene Road replaced this route when the Naval Establishment was opened in 1818. The route for the road was surveyed in 1808 by Samuel Wilmot. After the British captured Fort Michilimackinac in

3190-462: The Queen's Rangers took over. They began their work at Eglinton Avenue and proceeded north, reaching the site of St. Albans on February   16, 1796. Expansion of the trail into a road was a condition of settlement for farmers along the route, who were required to spend 12   days a year to clear the road of logs, subsequently removed by convicted drunks as part of their sentence. The southern end of

3300-641: The Straits of Mackinac ; it was built on the northern tip of the lower peninsula of the present-day state of Michigan in the United States . Built around 1715, and abandoned in 1783, it was located along the straits that connect Lake Huron and Lake Michigan of the Great Lakes of North America . A reconstruction of the fort is preserved as the main feature of Colonial Michilimackinac Historic State Park . The present-day village of Mackinaw City developed around

3410-545: The detailed design process as of 2022, and are broken up into several sections: 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi) between Pearl and south of Ouimet; 10.3 kilometres (6.4 mi) between Dorion Loop Road and near Highway 582 ; 8.3 kilometres (5.2 mi) between Highway   582 and Coughlin Road; 4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi) between Coughlin Road and Red Rock Road No. 9, crossing the Black Sturgeon River and connecting with

Ontario Highway 93 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3520-476: The upper Great Lakes and the trading post at Michilimackinac , bypassing the American border. In late 1793, Simcoe determined the route of his new road. The following spring, he instructed Deputy Surveyor General Augustus Jones to blaze a small trail marking the route. Simcoe initiated construction of the road by granting land to settlers, who in exchange were required to clear 33 feet (10 m) of frontage on

3630-416: The 19-kilometre (12 mi) Tri-Town Bypass, from Gillies to north of New Liskeard, was opened on September   18. The new route bypassed the towns of Cobalt, Haileybury and New Liskeard (the latter two which have since become part of Temiskaming Shores ). In several cases, the original route of Highway   11 became a business route (Highway   11B, see #Business routes ) upon the completion of

3740-452: The 1980s. The remaining two lane section between Huntsville and Callander was four laned through the 1990s and 2000s, and was completed in 2012. A section concurrent with Highway   17 east of Thunder Bay was rebuilt as a divided highway in the early 2010s and work continues. The two-lane Nipigon River Bridge was replaced with a twin-span bridge that opened in 2018, following a structural failure in 2016. Highway   11 varies between

3850-565: The Black Sturgeon River, for a distance of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). The second portion reaches a distance of 36 kilometres (22 mi), from Highway   587 at Pass Lake to Balsam Street in Thunder Bay . Work is being done to twin the route from Ouimet to Dorion . Additionally, the section from Balsam Street to the Harbour Expressway is four lanes wide, but undivided. The partial cloverleaf interchange at Thunder Bay's Hodder Avenue

3960-640: The Burk's Falls Bypass and a new alignment alongside the existing highway between Burk's Falls and Sundridge, were completed and opened together on August   8, 2012, completing the four laning between Barrie and North Bay. Overall, the project between Huntsville and Powassan required "16   new interchanges, 54   new bridges, 1.7   million cubic meters of rock excavation, 10.5   million cubic metres of earth excavation, 4.6   million tonnes of granular material applied and 500,000   tonnes of asphalt." Plans for four-laning Highway   11/17 from

4070-601: The Ferguson Highway were assumed north of North Bay within Nipissing District , as well as 182.1 kilometres (113.2 mi) through Timiskaming District . Highway   11 grew in length from 154.2 kilometres (95.8 mi) to 1,024.0 kilometres (636.3 mi). Construction began in 1938 on a road to connect Highway   17 at Nipigon with the gold mines discovered near the town of Geraldton several years earlier. Although portions of this new road were passable by

4180-481: The French garrison to Fort Detroit and closed the mission. By 1713, however, the French decided to re-establish a presence along the Straits of Mackinac, and built the wooden Fort Michilimackinac on the northern tip of the lower peninsula. They sent Constant le Marchand de Lignery with a contingent of soldiers and workmen in 1715 to accomplish the job. Over the decades, they made several modifications and expansions to

4290-543: The Lakehead Expressway to be built on the western edge of the twin cities of Port Arthur and Fort William (which amalgamated in 1970 to form Thunder Bay). Plans called for a 28.2 kilometres (17.5 mi) at-grade expressway from South of Arthur Street to meet Highway   11 and Highway   17 northeast of the cities. Work began in August 1965, with a contract for a 5 kilometres (3 mi) section of divided highway on

4400-523: The Nine Mile Portage to Willow Creek and the Nottawasaga River . The Penetanguishene Military Post was started before the war. However, lacking a suitable overland transport route, passage from York to Lake Huron continued via the Nottawasaga. The Penetanguishene Road, begun in 1814, replaced this route by the time the military post was opened in 1817. In 1824, work began to extend Yonge Street to Kempenfelt Bay near Barrie . A north-western extension

4510-578: The War of 1812, the requirement to supply the captured fort created a need for ships to be built on Lake Huron, which in turn meant that an effective supply route needed to be cut. The decision was made to cut the road in November 1814 by General Gordon Drummond . It was completed by the following spring. Following the war, the surrounding land was purchased in the Lake Simcoe–Lake Huron Purchase from

Ontario Highway 93 - Misplaced Pages Continue

4620-705: The city grew. This portion of the Penetanguishene Road, as well as the present remaining section and the connecting streets south of the expressway portion of Highway 11, became a part of Highway 11 in 1920. Highway 93 was first assumed by the DHO on April   13, 1938, serving as an alternate route for Highway 27. The 28.2-kilometre (17.5 mi) gravel-surfaced highway began at Highway 11 at Crown Hill and ended at Highway 27 in Waverley; Highway 27 continued north along Penetanguishene Road. It

4730-474: The commuted pensioners were reduced to a state of extreme poverty . In 1824, construction began to extend Penetanguishene Road south (with a U-shaped course around Kempenfelt Bay) to with connect with Yonge Street at Holland Landing. Completed in 1827 to the bay, the southern part of this extension was later redesignated as part of Yonge Street after the two sections were severed when the route through Barrie became incorporated into several perpendicular streets as

4840-558: The east, then becomes a divided freeway before curving northward around Gull Lake . Near Bracebridge, it meets Highway 118 and former Highway 117 . Highway 141 branches west from the route between Bracebridge and Huntsville, while Highway 60 branches east towards Algonquin Park in Huntsville. The section between Gravenhurst and Bracebridge is at freeway standards, while several at-grade intersections remain between Bracebridge and Huntsville. Highway   11 crosses

4950-467: The eastbound lanes, from Ouimet Canyon Road to Dorion Loop Road, are scheduled to open by the end of the year. On April   9, 2022, the province announced a $ 107-million contract to twin and realign 13.2 kilometres (8.2 mi) of Highway   11/17 from the end of the existing four lane route near Highway 587 to Pearl . Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2022 and be completed in 2026. The remaining 34 kilometres (21 mi) are in

5060-458: The east–west divide throughout York Region and Toronto. Highway   11 became a provincial highway in 1920 when the network was formed, although many of the roads that make up the route were constructed before the highway was designated. At the time, it only extended between Toronto and north of Orillia . In 1937, the route was extended to Hearst , northwest of Timmins . The route was extended to Nipigon by 1943. In 1965, Highway   11

5170-483: The end of 1939, the Nipigon–Geraldton Highway was opened ceremoniously by Thomas McQuesten and C. D. Howe on September   7, 1940; it was assumed as a provincial highway in 1941. With the onset of World War II, the need for an east–west connection across Canada became imperative, and construction began on a link between Geraldton and Hearst, a distance of 247 kilometres (153 mi) in 1939. Due to

5280-651: The end of that year between Novar and south of Emsdale. In 2003, a major failure of the Sgt. Aubrey Cosens VC Memorial Bridge at the Montreal River in Latchford caused a complete closure and significant detour. A temporary one-lane Bailey bridge , which opened two weeks after the incident, was constructed to carry traffic on the highway; due to the expected water levels on the Montreal River once ice and snow began to melt in

5390-625: The end of the Thunder Bay Expressway northeast to Nipigon, including the Nipigon River Bridge , were first announced in December 1989. The corridor was divided into four segments, and an Environmental Study Report (ESR) was published for each in 1996 or 1997. While the MTO designated the corridor—a mix of twinning the existing highway and a new alignment—in 2003, funding wasn't committed to

5500-476: The event of a wire failure. On October   30, 2004, another 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of four-laning was opened between the south end of the Trout Creek Bypass and north of South River . To the south, a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) bypass of Emsdale opened the week of October   21, 2005, with a portion of the original Emsdale Bypass (constructed in 1956) remaining as Highway 518 . This left

5610-492: The exception of a portion south of Gravenhurst that may potentially be constructed to the east of the current road. The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 11, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario . Interchanges are numbered between Barrie and North Bay.  Fort Michilimackinac Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th-century French , and later British , fort and trading post at

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5720-489: The existing four lane route, and; 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) through Nipigon, between Stillwater Creek and First Street. Highway   11 between Barrie and Gravenhurst is currently a right-in/right-out (RIRO) expressway (local access permitted, turnarounds via special interchanges), except for a section around Orillia which is a full freeway. Another freeway section (formerly Highway   400A) does exist in Barrie with

5830-409: The existing highway from Birch Beach Road to Highway 587 near Loon , and an $ 84.8 million contract to construct a new 9.7-kilometre (6.0 mi) alignment from Red Rock Road No. 9 to Stillwater Creek near Nipigon. Construction began on the former in October, and on the latter by the end of June. The section from Birch Beach Road to Highway   587 was completed on September 1, 2017, while

5940-424: The existing two lane highway between Powassan and McGillvray Creek opened in September 1997. This was followed in October 1999 with the opening of another 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) of twinning from McGillvray Creek south to Hummel Line, north of Trout Creek . In the early 2000s, several more sections were completed at both the north and south end of the remaining two lane highway. A 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) section

6050-455: The following day and repairs began; both lanes were reopened on February   25, 2016. The failure caused a significant delay in the construction of the northern span, which did not open until November   23, 2018, The 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) of approaches at each end were completed in 2019. On June 10, 2015, the province announced the awarding of two contracts: A $ 32.7 million contract awarded to twin 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) of

6160-481: The fort, they killed most of the British inhabitants. They held the fort for a year before the British regained control, promising to offer more and better gifts to the native inhabitants of the area. The British eventually determined that the wooden fort on the mainland was too vulnerable. In 1781 they built a limestone fort on nearby Mackinac Island . Now known as Fort Mackinac , it was initially named Fort Michilimackinac. The British then moved related buildings to

6270-409: The freeway segment from the southern terminus ending at Penetanguishene Road (Simcoe County Road   93). The MTO is currently planning on either converting the existing RIRO expressway to a full six-lane freeway or bypassing it with an entirely new alignment. An environmental and fiscal study concluded that the improvements from Barrie to Gravenhurst will involve the existing route being widened with

6380-499: The highway to its peak length of 46.5 kilometres (28.9 mi). As part of a series of budget cuts initiated by premier Mike Harris under his Common Sense Revolution platform in 1995, numerous highways deemed to no longer be of significance to the provincial network were decommissioned and responsibility for the routes transferred to a lower level of government, a process referred to as downloading. The 15.3-kilometre (9.5 mi) section of Highway 93 parallel to Highway 400

6490-559: The highway turned north at 11th Line, then east at East Oro along Sideroad   15/16. That year also saw paving completed from Washago to north of Gravenhurst . The following year, the newly-renamed Department of Highways (DHO) paved the remaining 13   kilometres between Barrie and Guthrie, while the DND paved the Muskoka Road from Gravenhurst to Huntsville. The final 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) of unpaved road between Barrie and Orillia

6600-494: The intersection. It once continued north into Penetanguishene, ending at the shoreline of Penetanguishene Harbour in Georgian Bay. Highway 93 follows the historic Penetanguishene Road, which continues south into Barrie south of the former highway's terminus. The road was initially surveyed by Samuel Street Wilmot in 1808 but no construction commenced. The North West Company had suggested in 1811 for this route again, but it

6710-495: The island by dismantling them and moving them across the water in the summer and over ice in winter to the island during the next two years. Ste. Anne's Church was also moved. Patrick Sinclair , the lieutenant governor of Michilimackinac, ordered the remains of the original Fort Michilimackinac to be burned after the move. In 1960 the fort grounds were designated a National Historic Landmark . The grounds were then restored, largely through archaeologically informed reconstruction, as

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6820-454: The lake. Between both Hillsdale and Orr Lake, as well as between Orr Lake and Waverley , the highway is almost entirely surrounded by coniferous forests, with occasional farmland and rural homes dotting the landscape. Within the community of Waverley, the route encounters the northern terminus of former Highway 27 , now Simcoe County Road 27. North of Waverley, the highway continues to meander north towards Georgian Bay, departing from

6930-422: The latter branches north after Emo , while Highway   11 runs parallel to the border for 51 kilometres (32 mi) before ending at the town of Rainy River, where the roadway continues into Baudette, Minnesota , and ends at Minnesota State Route   11. Highway 11B is the designation for business routes of Highway   11, ten of which have existed over the years. Two continue to exist today, while

7040-538: The modern Ministry of Transportation) in 1937. For several years the Holland River and Lake Simcoe provided the only means of transportation between York (now Toronto) and the upper Great Lakes; Holland Landing was the northern terminus of Yonge Street. The military route to Georgian Bay prior to, and during the War of 1812 , crossed Lake Simcoe to the head of Kempenfelt Bay, then by the Nine Mile Portage to Willow Creek and

7150-565: The next decade, which were later incorporated into the modern four-lane route. A bypass of Bracebridge opened July   1, 1953. The North Bay bypass was completed in 1953, while bypasses of Emsdale and Powassan were completed 1956 and 1957, respectively. Construction of the Huntsville Bypass began in 1957; it opened November   27, 1959. The original Callander Bypass, which is now divided into Callander Bay Drive and part of Highway 93 , also opened in October 1959. Further north,

7260-452: The official opening, a section between Swastika and Ramore wasn't opened until August. The Ferguson Highway name was also applied to the Muskoka Road between Severn Bridge and North Bay. Although the route from North Bay to Cochrane was passable, it was not an adequate road in many places. Construction continued for several years to build bypasses of sharp turns, steep grades , awkward rail crossings, and other obstacles. The Ferguson Highway

7370-540: The old Penetanguishene Road at Mertz's Corner. Rural residences line the route between the two communities, transitioning to a mix of forest and farmland. It curves around the western side of a large hill before entering the community of Wyebridge , where it crosses the Wye River . Several kilometres north of Wyebridge, Highway 93 ends southwest of Midland at Highway 12; the two share northern termini, although provincial maintenance ends 200 metres (660 ft) north of

7480-407: The old bridge closed. It was subsequently demolished to allow the construction of the northern span to carry eastbound traffic, which was scheduled for 2017. However, on January   10, 2016, the bridge experienced a significant structural failure in which the deck raised 60 centimetres (2 ft), severing the only highway connection between eastern and western Canada. A single lane was reopened

7590-531: The palisade walls. Chevalier Jacques Testard de Montigny , who was a Lt. and a Knight of the Order of St. Louis , was appointed in 1730 and served for three years as commandant of the fort. He was previously commandant of Fort La Baye ( Green Bay, Wisconsin ). Many of his relatives settled in Michigan. The French relinquished the fort, along with their territory in Canada , to the British in 1761 following their defeat in

7700-457: The project until the late 2000s. In early-to-mid 2009, the provincial government announced the first of several contracts to expand the highway, starting from the Thunder Bay end. Construction on the 4.4-kilometre (2.7 mi), $ 42-million contract began in August 2010, from west of Hodder Avenue to Highway 527 . The westbound lanes opened the weekend of August 6, 2011; the existing highway

7810-638: The region on April   1, 1996. This was followed up a year later with the transfer of 27.3 kilometres (17.0 mi) of the highway within Simcoe County south of Crown Hill on April   1, 1997. Along with the name Yonge Street, the section in York Region is now York Regional Road   1, while the section in Simcoe County is now mostly Simcoe County Road   4. Within the Cities of Toronto and Barrie it

7920-526: The remaining eight have been decommissioned . With the exception of the short spur route into Atikokan , all were once the route of Highway   11 prior to the completion of a bypass alignment. All sections of Highway   11B have now been decommissioned by the province with the exception of the Atikokan route and the southernmost section of the former Tri-Town route between Cobalt and Highway   11. The earliest established section of Highway   11

8030-480: The road network became apparent following a rail strike in August 1950, during which a "mercy train" was delivered to the isolated town. Throughout the fall of 1950, various delegates pressed the provincial government to construct a road link immediately. The province announced plans for the new highway between Atikokan and Shebandowan the following August, and released the proposed route on October   10; construction began shortly thereafter. The Atikokan Highway

8140-426: The road passing their lot . In the summer of 1794, William Berczy was the first to take up the offer, leading a group of 64 families north-east of Toronto to found the town of German Mills , in today's Markham . By the end of 1794, Berczy's settlers had cleared the route around Thornhill . However, the settlement was hit by a series of setbacks and road construction stalled. Work on the road resumed in 1795 when

8250-418: The road was in use in the first decade of the 19th century, and became passable all the way to the northern end in 1816. For several years the Holland River and Lake Simcoe provided the only means of transportation; Holland Landing was the northern terminus of Yonge Street. The military route to Georgian Bay prior to, and during the War of 1812 , crossed Lake Simcoe to the head of Kempenfelt Bay, then by

8360-436: The route had been extended southward from Arthur Street to Neebing Avenue / Walsh Street West. At this time, Highway   11 and 17 and Highway   61 were rerouted along the completed expressway. The old routes through Thunder Bay were redesignated as Highway 11B / 17B and Highway 61B . While Highway   11 was extended farther north and west between the 1920s and 1960s, numerous projects took place along

8470-510: The route turns west. From Cochrane, it passes through communities such as Smooth Rock Falls , Kapuskasing , Hearst and Greenstone , arching across northeastern Ontario westward then south for 613 kilometres (381 mi) before again meeting Highway   17 at Nipigon . Nearly the entire route from Nipigon to Rainy River is a two-lane, undivided road, with the exception of two twinned, four-lane segments approaching Thunder Bay . The first starts just west of Nipigon and ends just north of

8580-450: The route were built, including Orillia, Washago , Gravenhurst , Bracebridge , Huntsville , Emsdale , Powassan , Callander , North Bay, Cobalt , Haileybury , New Liskeard and Thunder Bay. Beginning in the 1960s, the highway was four-laned between Barrie and North Bay in stages. Four laning was completed between Barrie and Gravenhurst in the 1960s, between Gravenhurst and Huntsville in the 1970s, and from North Bay south to Callander in

8690-575: The section from Red Rock Road No. 9 to Stillwater Creek was completed in September 2019. On March 29, 2022, the Government of Ontario announced that it was extending its 110-kilometre-per-hour (68 mph) speed limit increase, on a trial basis, to the section of Highway   11 from north of Katrine to north of South River. Work is ongoing or upcoming to twin or realign the remaining 55 kilometres (34 mi) of two-laned Highway   11/17 between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. On December   8, 2020,

8800-516: The sections between Barrie and Cochrane during that period to either realign the highway to improve the geometry, or to bypass built up areas. The largest bottleneck along the highway in the 1940s was between Washago and through Gravenhurst, where construction began in 1947 to realign 23 kilometres (14 mi) between the two towns, including a new high-level bridge over the Trent–Severn Waterway . The original bypass of Gravenhurst, along what

8910-413: The shortage of labour, several prison camps were established between the two communities in October of that year and work began to clear a tote road for the movement of supplies over the following winter. While the highway was completed in November 1942, it was not maintained during through the winter, and the official opening did not take place until June   12, 1943. Following this, Highway   11

9020-632: The site of the fort, which has been designated as a National Historic Landmark . It is preserved as an open-air historical museum, with several reconstructed wooden buildings and palisade, and is now part of the state park. The primary purpose of the fort was as part of the French-Canadian trading post system, which stretched from the Atlantic Coast and the St. Lawrence River to the Great Lakes, and south to

9130-467: The southeastern row house. The Ojibwe in the region soon became dissatisfied with British policies, particularly their cancellation of the annual policy of distributing gifts to the Indians. On June 2, 1763, as part of the larger conflict known as Pontiac's War , a group of Ojibwe staged a game of baaga'adowe (a forerunner of modern lacrosse ) outside the fort as a ruse to gain entrance. After entering

9240-502: The spring, however, a second temporary bridge then had to be constructed for the duration of the original bridge's reconstruction. According to the Ministry of Transportation's final report, the failure was caused by a fatigue fracture of three steel hanger rods on the northwest side of the bridge. Following reconstruction, the bridge resumed service in 2005. Each hanger rod was replaced with four cable wires, to provide greater stability in

9350-402: The summer of 1925. The new route was mostly unpaved, with work beginning in 1922 to improve the roadway. That year saw paving completed between Yonge Boulevard and Thornhill, as well as a bypass of the original route through Holland Landing (now known as York Regional Road   83). The pavement was extended farther north from Thornhill to Richmond Hill the following year. By 1925, the route

9460-429: The west side of the twin cities. The first section of the expressway opened on August   29, 1967, connecting Oliver Road (then part of Highway 130 ) and Golf Links Road with Dawson Road ( Highway 102 ). By mid- to late 1969, the route had been extended to Highway 527 northeast of the twin cities and to Highway   11 and Highway   17 (Arthur Street) at the Harbour Expressway . By late 1970,

9570-494: Was announced on March   31, 1966, and construction began in the spring of 1967. The new bypass was completed and opened in late 1970. By 1971, Highway   11 was a four lane divided highway from Orillia to the northern interchange with Bethune Drive in Gravenhurst, and work was underway on twinning the highway between Gravenhurst and then- Highway 117 (now Highway 118 ), north of Bracebridge; That project

9680-527: Was announced that the route would be renamed the Sarah Burke Memorial Highway , in memory of freestyle ski pioneer Sarah Burke . In its current form, Highway 93 begins at an interchange with Highway 400; Exit 121. The highway previously continued south of there to an interchange with Highway 11 and what was then the unsigned Highway 400A , where Highway 11 left the present RIRO expressway to continue south through Barrie as

9790-572: Was assumed by the DHO through Cochrane District . This was followed one week later when 80.5 kilometres (50.0 mi) of the Muskoka Road through the District of Muskoka were assumed on June   9. A 96.7 kilometres (60.1 mi) portion of the route, which included a portion of what is now Highway 94 to connect to the Dionne quintuplets , was assumed through Parry Sound District on June   16. On June   30, 136.9 kilometres (85.1 mi) of

9900-523: Was born in Barrie and grew up in Midland; the freestyle skier died in a training accident in January 2012. The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 93, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario . The entire route is located in Simcoe County .  Ontario Highway 11 King's Highway 11 , commonly referred to as Highway 11 , is a provincially-maintained highway in

10010-494: Was branched off the original Yonge Street in Holland Landing and ran into the new settlement of Bradford before turning north towards Barrie. Work was completed by 1827, making connections with the Penetanguishene Road. A network of colonization roads built in the 1830s (some with military strategy in mind) pushed settlement northeast along the shores of Lake Simcoe and north towards the shores of Georgian Bay. Construction of

10120-475: Was carried out over the next five years. The final link, the 5.6-kilometre (3.5 mi) Noden Causeway over Rainy Lake , was opened on June   28, 1965, after which Highway   11 was extended to Rainy River and the American border. Highway   11 was now at its peak length of 1,882.2 kilometres (1,169.5 mi). In 1963, Charles MacNaughton, minister of the Department of Highways, announced plans for

10230-468: Was ceremonially opened by premier Leslie Frost on August   13, 1954, although traffic had used the incomplete road beginning in November 1953. At that event, which saw him use an axe to cut a ribbon, Frost announced the future vision to extend the new route to Fort Frances. Despite the opening, work was ongoing to improve the existing road between the end of the new highway at Shebandowan and Highway   17 at Shabaqua Corners . Initially this road

10340-469: Was cleared by April 1925, after which construction began in August from both North Bay as well as Cobalt. The new gravel highway was officially opened on July   2, 1927, by Minister of Lands and Forests William Finlayson . He suggested at the opening that the road be named the Ferguson Highway in honour of premier Ferguson. The name was originally suggested by North Bay mayor Dan Barker. Despite

10450-459: Was completed by 1974. Between then and 1979, widening was completed to 7.4 kilometres (4.6 mi) north of Highway 141 at Stephenson Road   12 along the existing route of Highway   11, and underway for another 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi) to the southern end of the Huntsville Bypass. In 1996 and 1997, the care (or rescinding of Connecting Link agreements) of Highway   11 from Barrie southwards, including all of Yonge Street,

10560-485: Was completed by the end of 1965. Construction continued north of Severn River, with a 7.1-kilometre (4.4 mi) section—including a second bridge over the Severn River—opening as far north as Kahshe Lake in October 1966. Construction on the next 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) from Kahshe Lake to south of Gravenhurst began that year. The current 6.8-kilometre (4.2 mi) bypass of Gravenhurst, crossing Gull Lake,

10670-495: Was completed in 1931. Throughout the 1910s and early 1920s, various chambers of commerce, rotary clubs and boards of trade petitioned the government to construct a new trunk road from North Bay towards the mining communities to the north that were established in the prior decades. These delegations and committees also saw the potential tourist draw of opening the Temagami area to hunters, fishers, and recreational tourism. By 1923,

10780-411: Was designated as Highway   120 . In 1959, it was decided to make this new link a westward extension of Highway   11. On April   1, 1960, Highway   11 assumed the route of Highway   120; this consequently created a concurrency of Highway   11 and 17 between Nipigon and west of Thunder Bay. Now reaching as far as Atikokan, construction of a road between there and Fort Frances

10890-519: Was determined to be redundant and was consequently downloaded to Simcoe County on April 1, 1997. The 7.3-kilometre (4.5 mi) section north of Highway 12 into Penetanguishene primarily served local traffic and was downloaded on the same day. Both downloaded sections are now known as Simcoe County Road 93. The province dedicated the entire length of Highway 93 as the Sarah Burke Memorial Highway on March 26, 2014. Burke

11000-495: Was extended from Cochrane to Kapuskasing by 1930, and later to Hearst in 1932. The Provincial Highway Network was radically overhauled in 1937, when the DND merged with the DHO on April   1. Consequently, the DHO assumed responsibility of roads north of the Trent–Severn Waterway over the next several months. On June   2, 339.2 kilometres (210.8 mi) of the Ferguson Highway

11110-408: Was extended to Nipigon, and was 1,421.1 kilometres (883.0 mi) long. Highway   11 ended at Nipigon until the late 1950s, after construction of a new highway west from Thunder Bay towards Fort Frances began. During World War II, large deposits of iron ore were discovered at Steep Rock Lake , around which the town of Atikokan was developed. The need to connect the burgeoning community to

11220-482: Was extended to Rainy River, bringing it to its maximum length of 1,882.2 kilometres (1,169.5 mi). The southernmost leg, an 86-kilometre (53 mi) section (including the Bradford–Barrie extension) through Barrie and south to Lake Ontario in Toronto, also known as Yonge Street , was decommissioned as a provincial highway in 1996 and 1997. From the late 1940s through the 1960s, numerous bypasses of towns along

11330-530: Was initially planned as a trunk road to connect the communities of Southern Ontario to those of Northern Ontario , as a continuous route from Toronto to North Bay . In 1919, Premier of Ontario Ernest Charles Drury created the Department of Public Highways (DPHO), though much of the responsibility for establishing the route he left to minister of the new cabinet position, Frank Campbell Biggs . By linking together several previously built roads such as Yonge Street , Penetanguishene Road , Middle Crossroad and

11440-478: Was not until the Siege of Detroit in 1813 that the project was expedited. This road was built between 1814 and 1815, led by Dr. William "Tiger" Dunlop , from the north side of Kempenfelt Bay (east of Barrie), to the townsite and Naval establishment at Penetanguishene on Georgian Bay ; it was the first road constructed in what is now Simcoe County. The route was assumed by the Department of Highways (DHO, predecessor to

11550-409: Was opened in September 2001 north of the Huntsville Bypass to south of Novar , mostly along a new alignment alongside the existing highway. On October   3, 2002, the southbound lanes of the 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) Trout Creek Bypass, a new alignment around that town, were opened, followed by the northbound lanes two weeks later. An additional 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) of twinning was completed by

11660-635: Was paved between Craighurst and Waverley in 1956, and between Crown Hill and Craighurst in 1960. Meanwhile, Highway 400 was opened as a two lane freeway with an at-grade intersection at Highway 93 between Craighurst and Hillsdale on December 24, 1959. The freeway was twinned to four lanes and an interchange built at Highway 93 in the early 1980s, opening in 1982. The now-renamed Ministry of Transportation and Communications also renumbered several highways in Simcoe County to coincide with this, including redesignating Highway 27 between Waverley and Midland as part of Highway 93. This brought

11770-456: Was paved from Toronto north to Fennell , as well as between Orillia and Washago . An additional 5 kilometres (3 mi) north from Fennell were paved in 1926. In 1927, the pavement between Toronto and Barrie was completed with the paving of approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi) south from Barrie. Between Barrie and Orillia, paving began in 1929, with the completion of approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) east from Guthrie ; at that point

11880-517: Was routed along Yonge Street, its extension to the Penetanguishene Road, and the Muskoka Road as far as the Severn River . The portions of Yonge Street through what is now York Region , as well as Toronto as far south as Yonge Boulevard, were assumed by the DPHO on June   24, 1920, while the portions through Simcoe County , from Bradford to Severn Bridge were assumed two months later on August   18. It received its numerical designation in

11990-524: Was then rebuilt as the eastbound lanes, and opened on August 17, 2012. An interchange at Hodder Avenue—the first in Northwestern Ontario—was included as part of this project By 2012, construction was already underway on two more contracts: A $ 46-million project to twin 12.3 kilometres (7.6 mi) of the existing highway between Highway   527 and west of Mackenzie Station Road that began in 2010, and another 12.3-kilometre project built along

12100-509: Was transferred by the provincial government to county, regional, and city governments by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario as part of the Mike Harris government's Common Sense Revolution . This practice is called downloading, in that the financial burden will fall to a lower tier government. The entire 36 kilometres (22 mi) of Highway   11 within York Region was transferred to

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